


Did You Hear the Rain?

by Phoenixinthehouseofthemoon



Series: Breaks From Within [2]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Disturbing Themes, Feral Jaskier | Dandelion, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Jaskier | Dandelion Being a Feral Bastard, M/M, STREGOBOR IS HIS OWN WARNING, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24264760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenixinthehouseofthemoon/pseuds/Phoenixinthehouseofthemoon
Summary: Deleted Scene from Chapter 7 of “Something You Carry With You”Jaskier and Stregobor have a talk.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Breaks From Within [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751503
Comments: 15
Kudos: 160





	Did You Hear the Rain?

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song of the same name, by George Ezra

  * After Yennefer leaves the room, Jaskier ~~Julian~~ helps himself to a glass of Stregobor’s wine, and leans against a table, waiting for the mage to wake.
  * He doesn’t wait long.
  * Stregobor comes around with the usual confusion, struggling, and flailing of others who found themselves in the same situation.
  * “So, I finally get the honor of meeting the great Butcher of Blaviken,” Julian ~~Jaskier~~ drawls
  * “You must be mistaken, my friend, Geralt of Rivia-“
  * Julian ~~Jaskier~~ shoots forward, quick as a viper, and breaks the pinky finger of the mage’s hand
  * ~~The crunch snap sound reminiscent of biting into a fresh, summer carrot~~
  * Stregobor’s sentence concludes in a scream
  * He waits for the scream to die away, leaving behind desperate panting, to lean down and look into the mages’ eyes
  * ~~Fear and pain and the beginnings of defiance, oh yes, that’s what he wants~~
  * ~~Come, make this easy for me~~
  * “Lie to me again,” Julian Jaskier says softly, “and I’ll break another.”
  * He sashays his way to the chair opposite his captive, tumbling into it with a careless sprawl.
  * “Here’s how this is going to work, Butcher,”
  * Stregobor’s eyes light up with defiance, before the mage manages to smother it down.
  * ~~Oh, yes. Be angry with me, be defiant, test me; see where it gets you~~
  * “I’m going to talk,” Julian explains, “and you’re going to listen. If I ask you a question, you’ll answer.”
  * “If you lie to me, well,” Julian gestures with his wine glass. “However many pieces you come out of this in, is entirely up to you.”
  * “And if I cooperate, what happens,” Stregobor asks, his eyes calculating, now that the pain has settled.
  * “Then, I’ll show you mercy, and set you free. Ready to start?”
  * Stregobor hesitates before nodding his assent.
  * ~~Always so much more fun when they play along~~
  * Julian takes a sip of the strong, deep red wine, before continuing, “So, you’re the man who killed all those Princesses, for what, being born on a bad night?”
  * “It was the lesser evil.”
  * Julian laughs derisively.
  * “Ah, “The Lesser Evil”, “The Greater Good”, “It Was Necessary”; I’ve heard them so many times, it all just starts to blend together.”
  * ~~Kings, Knights, Mages, Lords; you all make the same excuse. You could at least _try_ to be original~~
  * “A pretty little lie, you tell yourself so you can sleep at night.”
  * Julian rises from his chair, stalking around Stregobor
  * “Because the truth is you _wanted_ to kill those girls.”
  * “They were young”
  * “And beautiful”
  * He whispers into the mage’s ear, “And _ripe_ ”
  * “Why would they ever look at an old man like you,” he chuckles, running a finger over Stregobor’s cheek.
  * The mage jerks away and Julian laughs, sauntering back over to his seat.
  * “I’m not a monster,” Stregobor spits.
  * “Well, you are right there,” Julian agrees.
  * He leans forwards towards his captive, “Monsters don’t need pretty lies to soothe themselves to sleep at night.”
  * ~~We sleep like the dead~~
  * “Monsters don’t hide away and let someone else take the blame, because monster’s don’t care if they get caught.”
  * “Most of them want to, as a point of fact, they would so hate to see credit go where it isn’t due.”
  * “You’re a sad, sick, impotent little man, but you’re no monster. You wouldn’t know a monster if they were sitting right across from you.”
  * ~~We are~~
  * “Why are you doing this,” Stregobor demands, flames in his eyes. “For some little cunts that died before you were a twinkle in your father’s eyes?”
  * Julian laughs, “as if I give a _fuck_. It was fifty years ago and your business besides.”
  * ~~For them, for _him_ , for the pure satisfaction of this moment~~
  * “No, I’m here because you touched, left a mark, on what’s *mine*”
  * “I don’t take kindly to that.”
  * ~~I would burn you and this Continent a thousand times over, if only he asked~~
  * “So,” Julian concludes, finishing the rest of his wine, “you’re going to send a message for me, to anyone who so much as thinks about touching what’s mine again.”
  * He gets up, leaning down to look into Stregobor’s eyes
  * There’s fear dancing there, behind the defiance. 
  * ~~Do you understand now?~~
  * “Geralt of Rivia belongs to Julian, to the Shadowstalker, the Kingslayer.”
  * Dread lights up Stregobor’s face, as he finally recognizes who he’s talking to.
  * “Can you deliver that for me, Butcher?”
  * The mage nods frantically, “Whatever you say. I’ll make sure word gets around.”
  * “Good,” Julian says, “well, I think our little chat is over.”
  * Stregobor slumps in relief
  * Julian pulls the black knife from inside his sleeve and forces the mage’s head back by the neck
  * “What are you doing? You said you would show mercy, would free me!”
  * “I am,” Julian says, as he carefully begins carving the first stroke of the letter “B” into the mage’s bare chest. “Death is mercy, is the ultimate freedom. You should know that.”
  * ~~I don’t need you living to send a message. Dead ones travel so much faster, after all~~
  * Stregobor’s screams echo across the castle walls and Julian ~~Jaskier~~ smiles, all teeth




End file.
